Julie Zhuo · 5 min read · Gen AI Tools
You're definitely going to be a manager now
Read the original on lg.substack.com →
With a revised edition that adds Managing Remotely and Managing in a Downturn, the piece explains how AI reshapes management in a leaner workplace. It argues that middle-manager roles will shrink while the need to manage work persists, shifting some leadership functions to capable individual contributors. It also offers concrete AI-powered practices—drafting exec summaries, roleplaying conversations, and rapid feedback—to coordinate teams effectively.
Key Takeaways
- AI-enabled leaner teams mean fewer traditional middle managers but an ongoing need for effective management.
- Management skills hinge on purpose, people, and process, and these functions may shift to individual contributors empowered by AI.
- AI tools can draft updates, surface data, critique work, roleplay conversations, and generate executive summaries to improve collaboration.
- The line between manager and IC is blurring, requiring flexible, moment-to-moment role adaptation.
- Leaders should empower high-agency individuals to operate with clear purpose in an AI era.
Excerpt
Dear Readers, Today, the revised edition of The Making of a Manager drops! (Note: the revised version is paperback with the new gradient background!) Besides some refreshed examples in the original 10 chapters, it comes with two brand spankin’ new sections on Managing Remotely and Managing in a Downturn . In the years since publication I lamented not having addressed these two topics more deeply, especially after the pandemic and the various market downturns and layoffs we’ve seen. Subscribe to The Looking Glass to get regular essays on the art of building. To commemorate the book’s (re)-launch, I wanted to…